Rosenberg takes over as Raiders' head coach

Jenni Rosenberg will shed the "interim" title as Southern Oregon University's head women's soccer coach. She and the Raiders are now official.

Jenni Rosenberg will shed the "interim" title as Southern Oregon University's head women's soccer coach. She and the Raiders are now official.

Matt Sayre, SOU's director of athletics, announced Monday that Rosenberg would stay on after taking over midway through the 2013 season. The Raiders bowed out in the Cascade Conference semifinals, finishing up with a record of 10-6-3, at which point a national search was conducted.

Rosenberg, 32, is the third head coach in the history of the program. Before arriving at SOU, she was in her fifth season as an assistant at Cal State Stanislaus.

"Jenni will produce a dynamic program here at SOU," Sayre said. "Her coaching experience at one of the top NCAA Division II programs in the West has prepared her to lead us to more prominence on the NAIA national scene. She's committed to high standards for the academic, athletic and character development of the young women under her charge and we're lucky to have her."

At Stanislaus, Rosenberg's duties included supervising academic progress, fundraising and recruiting. She was responsible for bringing in several of the players who starred on Stanislaus' team that went 18-1-2 this season.

Rosenberg graduated from Ashland High in 1999. She played on SOU's inaugural women's soccer team in 2000 and finished her career at Stanislaus, where she earned a bachelor's degree in physical education.

Former head coach Jon Clement was placed on administrative leave early in the season. A university investigation into his conduct was initiated, but the university didn't reveal circumstances. Clement had been the coach since 2006.

Her first game in charge of the Raiders was on Oct. 3 against Northwest Christian and resulted in a scoreless draw. She earned her first win two days later, 5-3 over Corban, and the Raiders went 6-4-1 with a fourth-place finish in the CCC under her guidance.

"I'm just honored to be back at Southern Oregon University," Rosenberg said. "The people in the program were unbelievably welcoming to me and are very kind. I couldn't ask for a better place to be and I'm really excited to get to work."

All but five players on SOU's roster are eligible to return next season.

"Our players will flourish under Jenni's leadership," Sayre added, "and our program will see increased and consistent success because of it."